Mechanical index and toy



Jan. 29, 1929.

R. C. WIGAND MECHANICAL INDEX AND TOY Filed Aug. 19. 1927 INVENTOR Fatented JanQZQ, 1929.

UNETED STATES F F 1 E PATENT MECHANICAL INDEX AND TOY.

Application filed August 19, 1927.

This invention relates to mechanical indexes in general and more especially to mechanical indexes suitable for use as toys.

Among the objects of the present invention it is aimed to provide a device for manipulating a web containing a succession of divisions thereon, alphabetically arranged, which divisions have imprinted thereon illustrations of animals the names of which correspond in their index letters to the letters of the divisions, and timin the manipulation of such web with an index whereby the indication on the index will indicate to the user the division of the web which is being displayed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device having a display window, a web provided with illustrations thereon, an index, and means for operating the index and Web to display at the display window a portion of the web that corresponds with the indication on the index.

The invention still further provides an improved device for simultaneously actuating a web and an index.

These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the invention will appear from the subjoined detail description of one speciiic embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective of the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of F ig.'2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan of a portion of the web used in the present embodiment.

In the embodiment illustrated, there is provided a housing preferably having four vertically extending walls consisting of a low front wall 1, a high rear wall 2, and two similarly formed side walls 3 and 4 having an inclined upper edge which extends from the upper edge of the front wall 1 to the upper edge of the rear wall 2. The upper end of the housing formed by the walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 is closed by the cover member 5 which preferably has two lugs 6 at its rear and extending into the recesses formed in the projections 7,7 extending upwardly from the rear wall 2. Such cover member 5 also has a spring finger 8 adjacent to its front edge and extending downwardly to cooperate with the projection 9 formed on the inside of the front wall 1 by means of which the cover member 5 is anchored in closed position.

The cover member 5 as shown in Fig. 1 has a display window 10 preferably disposed Serial No. 214,004.

about midway between the rear and front ends of the cover member 0. The cover mem her 5 also has an elongated slot 11 in the present instance along its right hand edge and to the right of the display window 10. Alongside of the slot 11 there are preferably provided the index characters used, in the present instance, the alphabet from A to Z formed in arow as at 12.

Traveling in the slot 11 there is provided the arrow or movable index 13, and traveling by the display window there is provided the web 14. The length of the display window 10 from rear to front, preferably corresponds to the altitude of two divisions 15 on the web 14 in order to permit the display of two divisions 15 at one and the same time.

The web 14 as indicated in Fig. 4, in the present instance, is provided with two divisions 15 for each letter, that is, two divisions names with the letter imprinted on the division on which they appear. This toy can be used to advantage as an animal index when the divisions 15 of the web 14 are provided with illustrations of animals that correspond in the index letter of their names with the letter on the division in which they appear. Of course it is understood that this toy can also be used with other types of illustrations including those of inanimate characters. In this way the device can be used to advantage as an educational toy.

The web 14, in the present instance, has its ends secured tothe reels 16 and 17 respectively, the shafts of which reels are journaled in recesses formed in the side walls 3 and 4. To the right of the flanges. 18 and 19 of the reels 16 and 17 respectively, there are formed the pinions 20 and21 respectively. As the web 14 travels from the reel 16 to the reel 17 it passes over the supporting plate 22 disposed adjacent to, and beneath, the dis play window 10. The left hand end of the supporting plate QZis provided 'wlth the lugs 23 which extend through spellings formed in the side wall 3. To the right of the display window 14: the supporting plate has two arms 21 and 25 extending downwardly and then at right angles to the right to extend into the recesses 26 and 27 formed in the side wall 4.

The pinions 20 and 21 mesh with the large pinion 28 mounted on the shaft 29 the ends of which similarly are extended into recesses formed in the walls 3 and 4;. Between the pinion 28 and the side wall l, the shaft 29 has fixed thereon a small pinion 30 which meshes with the drive pinion 31 formed on the drive shaft 32 W1 ich extends through the side wall at and has formed on its outer end the knob or manipulating wheel The pinion 31 also meshes with the large pinion 34 mounted on the shaft which extends through the hub 36 formed in the side wall 4.

Between the pinion 3.: and the side wall l there is provided a small pinion 3'? which meshes with the teeth 38 on the lower end of the rack To the middle of the rack 39 the movable index 13 is fixer so that its head extends in alinement with the upper tace ot the cover member 5 and so that the upper edge of the rack 39 alines with the lower face of the cover member 5.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the arms 24 and 25 extend to either side of the pinion 34 and below the lower edge of the rack 39 to clear the same. it will also be seen that the rack 39 is guided in its movement by the wall 4 adjacent to which it is slidably mounted.

From the foregoing it will be seen that as the knob 33 is turned, it will. in turn actuate the pinions 20, 21 of the reel 16, 1? to move the web 14 by the display window 10, and that at the same time through the engagement of the pinion 34 with the pinion 31 the rack 39 will be slidably actuated so that its indicator or arrow 13 will be actuated along the slot 11 successively to register with the several letters in the row 12 The gears are timed to correspond with the length of the web 14; and the distance of travel of the arrow 13 so that those divisions 15 which correspond to the position of the arrow 13 relative to the letter in the row 12, will be displayed.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made to the details of construction without departing from the gen eral spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a housing having a display window, of a web, reels in said housing to which said web is attached, a support for supporting a portion of said web in display position, a rack, a movable'index mounted on said rack, means for actuating said reels, and reduction gearing associatingsaid actuating means with said rack so that said web and said index will simultaneously be operated and the web operated at a greater velocity than the index is operated.

2. The combination with a housing having a display window, of a web, reels in said housing which said web is attached, successive portions of the web designated with the successive letters of the alphabet, illustrations formed on said successive portions of the web,

the illustrations being so arranged that the in d x letters of the names of the CleV1C8S1llllS- trated will correspond to the letters on the portions in which they appear, means for actuating said reels to move said web, there being a slot in said housing adjacent to said display window and extending in the direction of movement oi the web, the alphabet being printed in a row adjacent to said slot, a rack, an indicator mounted on said rack and extending through said slot, the display window of said housing being large enou 'h display at one time only a portion of t e tape, a reduction gearing for associating said actuating mea s with said rack and causing said rack to move at a slower velocity than said web is moved but in the same direction, the rack and reels being so timed and adjusted that the indicator will always register with the letter corresponding to the letter on the portion of the tape being dsplayed,

3. The combination with a housing having a display window, of a web, reels in said housing to which said web is attached, a support for the web adjacent to said display window, there being a slot in said housing adjacent to said display window and extending in the direction of movement of the web, an indicator extending through said slot, a rack on which said indicator is mounted, the successive portions 01' the web being designated with the successive letters of thealphabet, the letters of the alphabet being formed in a row adjacent to said slot, a rotatable knob, a pinion fixed to rotate with said knob, a train of gearing for simultaneously rotating said reels to actuate said web, said train of gearing being operatively connected to said pinion, and a reduction gearing for actuating said rack and operatively connected to said pinion, the operation of said knob causing the simultaneous operation of said rack and reels to cause those portions of the'web to be dis played which correspond with the letter indicated by said indicator.

l. The combination with a housing having two opposing walls, one at the right hand side and the other at the left hand side, means for connecting said walls to one another, and

ill)

a table plate supported on said walls having a display window therein and a slot extending parallel to and adjacent to the right hand opposing wall, of a pair of reel shafts secured to said opposing walls, reels fixed on said shafts, a supporting plate adjacent to said display window, a web connected to said reels and moving over said supporting plate from one reel to another, said web being provided with successive divisions and marked with successive index designations, a second set of index designations corresponding to said index designations marked in a row adjacent to said slot, an indicator extending through said slot, a rack to which said indicator is secured, a rotatable knob rotatably mounted on said right hand opposing wall, a pinion fixed to rotate with said knob adjacent to said right hand opposing wall, a train of gearing for simultaneously rotating said reels to ac tuate said web rotatably mounted on said right hand opposing wall, said train of gearing being operatively connected to said pinion, and a reduction gearing rotatably connected to said right hand Wall and operatively connected with said rack and said pinion, the operation of said knob causing the simultaneous operation of said rack and reels to cause those divisions of the web to be displayed which correspond with the designation indicated by said indicator.

5. The combination with a housing having two opposing walls, one at the right hand side and the other at the left hand side, means for connecting said walls to one another, and a table plate supported on said walls having a display window therein and a slot extending parallel to and adjacent to the right hand opposing wall, of a pair of reel shafts secured to said opposing walls, reels fixed on said shafts, a supporting plate adjacent to said display window, a Web connected to said reels and moving over said supporting plate from one reel to another, said web being provided with successive divisions and marked with successive index designations, a second set of index designations corresponding to said index designations marked in a row adjacent to said slot, an indicator extending through said slot to be engaged by the operator, a pinion rotatably mounted on said right hand wall, a gear fixed on each reel shaft and in mesh with said pinion, and a reduction gearing rotatably connected to said right hand wall operatively connected with said rack and said pinion whereby the actuation of said indicator will cause said web to travel at an increased velocity relative to the velocity of said indicator and'move in the same direction.

ROBERT C. WIGAND. 

